Baba Othman Ngelzarma, the National President of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), on Tuesday, the 2nd of December, 2025, vehemently denied allegations that the organization is a criminal group.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Ngelzarma dismissed the idea that MACBAN is a terrorist entity, arguing that those attempting to label it as such fundamentally misunderstand its inner workings.
He asserted the group’s legitimate origins and purpose: “MACBAN does not represent any criminal activities, we are never a criminal group, we are an association that was duly registered in 1986 and was registered by General John Shagaya when he was the Minister of Internal Affairs, a Christian from Plateau State.”
To further underscore the association’s credibility, he noted its eminent backing: “His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto is the Chairman BoT of MACBAN, so we never represent any criminal activities in this country and we are never a criminal group.”
Ngelzarma clarified that herders involved in killings and banditry are not members of MACBAN, suggesting that these acts are carried out by other, “splinter groups of Miyetti Allah.”
He explained that MACBAN is often mistaken as the umbrella body for all herders due to its widespread organization. “Let me make it clear that MACBAN is not the only rearing group in the country, we have a lot them, ranging to about 30 pastoralist groups that all have members, but because MACBAN is well structured and the only Democratic group of pastoralist in the country, every pastoralist identify with it and people think that all pastoralists are members of MACBAN.”
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The National Chairman stressed that a proper resolution to the herder-farmer conflict requires a deep understanding of its root causes: “The dynamics of this crisis must be well understood before a solution can be proffered and because the pastoralists in the country are those practicing pastoralism which is the only solution for them to survive.” He pointed out that herders lack education on modernization, and are simply practicing pastoralism “for the animal to survive.”
Ngelzarma defended MACBAN’s reputation, stating that anyone attempting to “designate MACBAN as a criminal group does not understand anything about MACBAN.” He highlighted the association’s collaborative efforts, noting that “MACBAN has been engaged with USAID for years, Search for Common Ground for Humanitarian dialogue for years on how to mitigate crisis with farmers, modernize production system.”
He concluded by illustrating that MACBAN members are themselves victims of the rampant insecurity, citing attacks that have targeted the association’s leadership: “We lost about eight of our state chairmen to banditry attack, just this year alone we lost a state Chairman in Kwara, who was killed in his house, we lost a Chairman in Katsina, he was assassinated in his house, his wife and daughter were taken away.”